Shooting Stars
by CandidumSiderae
Summary: (Essentialy a Fox McCloud x Wolf O'Donnell story)The aparoid invasion is over and the Star Fox team decided to take a long break after all this mess, everything will start with Fox McCloud and Krystal being together in a meteor shower night, with the time being, their world will rumble when awakened feelings appear, what's right or what's actually wrong won't matter anymore
1. Chapter 1: The meteor shower

_**Author's note**_

Hi! I just wanted to know that this is the first story I've written, and I'm not really sure if this is going well or not, since is my first story,

I must also say that english isn't my first language, so if you see any grammar mistakes, please, do not hesitate to tell me and correct me, I'll try my best to learn from them.

Now I would like to talk about the story.

I would like to try my best to make this story as long as possible, since I'm still on vacation, I'll have enough time to write (yet)

I'm thinking about making this story not only Wolf x Fox, but also other ships I'll think in the future. This chapter is placed after the Aparoid invasion from SF. Assault, where Fox and Krystal are back together but Fox will have new feelings awakened for someone else.

With that being said, I don't want to interrupt anymore, please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Shooting Stars_

During the summer Season

20XX

It all started in a deep forest in Corneria, when the skies began to turn red, to then fall into the night. A particular vulpine was lying down on what it seemed to be a blanket, with his green emerald eyes lost in space, waiting for the sky to get decorated with all those lights he loved. In that specific night, a meteor shower would take place, when he first knew that, he didn't hesitate to put up with everything for the great day.

He was not alone, although he wished to, a voice tried to interrupt his thoughts.

"...Fox, are you there?,...Fox!"

At first he tried to ignore it, but he ended up perking his ears and listening to his companion, a blue Vixen wearing a white summer dress, smiling sweetly at the lupine, it was Krystal the one who was trying to get his attention so she could make the request she's been wanting to ask.

"Dear, I know you are excited about the meteor shower, but we could at least...I don't know, like...do what...couples do? It was your idea after all…"

Krystal's cheeks turned rosy after saying what she felt, thing that seemed to do nothing against the red fox lying by her side, instead, he answered vaguely

"Oh, sure, we can do that."

His tone of voice was neutral, and the only thing he did was to pat the space next to him in the blanket, telling her to lie down by his side, Krystal sighed, but she couldn't refuse.

Fox was still focused on the sky, starting to turn black and a few stars began to show up, his eyes shone with excitement as the starlight reflected on them, soon after, he found himself lost in thought again.

Analyzing the sky, some memories came back, flashbacks of his past, from the sweetest childhood memories, like when his father taught him how to find constellations, to the cold and hurtful memories of the Lylat Wars.

Soon, a bright purple star took his attention...purple...so bright, so many memories came back.

It's been a few months since the aparoid invasion was over, and that purple star took him back to that time, he remembered how those creatures took all living things, converting them into evil machines, he remembered all the sacrifices that were done during the invasion.

Then, he remembered Wolf.

That name came in a flash with all his memories behind, all the dog fights, how he saved his life twice, how he supported him during the invasion…

Then, he remembered how Wolf and his team vanished after Fox killed the aparoid queen, assimilating that they sacrificed themselves in an effort to help Fox succeed.

A seed of grief started to grow in Fox's heart

"Fox..., what are you thinking?"

The same voice made Fox come back to reality, and alarmed, he felt the urge to ask "Have you been reading my mind again? You know well what are my thoughts about that" quickly, the vixen responded calmly, although she was internally panicking.

"Oh! Of course not Fox!, I've been trying to improve my limits on that, but I still can know how you are feeling, and that sudden sorrow worried me, I hope you can understand"

Fox felt sorry about that apology, something inside him didn't want to believe her, she always had secrets, although, he answered shortly and vaguely again.

"Oh, well. It's okay, I guess."

Krystal sighed and got up, she was so fed up with Fox's attitude, but she couldn't help worrying about him, he's never like that, he's usually caring and a good listener, but this time he seemed distant and cold. Krystal wanted to know what's the real trouble, even though it wasn't really ethical of her. Fox really didn't seem to care about Krystal's reaction

The vulpine was lost in thought again, remembering, analyzing, thinking in "what ifs" and so, starting to philosophize about parallel universes, what if the aparoid invasion never happened? What if his father was still alive? What if he never had to interfere during the war? Then, another question made that seed of sorrow grow even more.

"What if Wolf didn't die during the invasion?"

The first shooting star appeared.

 **. . .**

When the meteor shower ended, Fox got up and stretched with tears moisturising his eyes, was it because he was tired? He didn't really know. Once he approached Krystal, he patted her head and apologised.

"I'm sorry, I don't really know what's gotten into me, and I was rude to you before, I hope you can forgive me, I'll try to compensate you"

the vulpine said with a slight smile, a smile Krystal couldn't resist, that's the Fox she really knew. She smiled and nodded, giving the answer she's been thinking

"It's okay, and I'll think about that...compensation, maybe one of those Ice cream buckets I really love could make the thing"

Fox chuckled with that response

"Yikes...those are really expensive, but it's okay since it's what you want."

Krystal seemed slightly disappointed, she wanted him to offer more and regretted she didn't ask for anything more... passionate.

While they were sitting on the car, Krystal broke the silence. "Well, Fox...since it's...really late, do you mind if I stay at your place tonight?" Krystal had the audacity to ask such a request, but she didn't get the answer she was hoping to get.

"Sure! Why not? I've a guest room free, you could stay there for the night and I'll take you to your place later in the morning"

Fox sounded so innocent that Krystal couldn't help to think that he was adorable, but also dumb, really really dumb. Although she didn't get what she wanted, she didn't differ.

The road back Fox's home was silent, once they got to Fox's house, no one said something.

Fox's house was a small chalet in the outskirts of Corneria city, it seemed modern and really pretty, but it was actually nothing really luxurious, he wanted something comfortable, but nothing really eccentric. Once they were both in the house, Fox was the first to speak

"Welcome, make yourself comfortable. Your room is right there, if you want to have a shower before sleeping, you have the bathroom in front of your room, and if you need something, I'll be in my room, at the end of the hallway"

For an instant, Krystal scoffed, but she didn't really want to complain, instead, she nodded and analyzed her surroundings

"Wow, Fox really takes care of this place, it's...so well decorated…"

She said for herself, Impressed about how perfectly designed everything was, then, her stomach rumbled loudly, even Fox perked his ears. Krystal covered her face embarrassed about what just happened. Fox reaction was only a giggle, and so, he said "hehe...I see you're hungry, it was rude of me not offering you something to eat, I can make something quick if you want" Krystal uncovered her face, still burning red, and answered "Please, I'd be grateful, anything will do…"

Fox nodded and headed to the kitchen, he murmured while he was taking the ingredients "fine, fine, since it's really late, something light like a sandwich will be perfect, wait for me in your room and I'll bring your dinner"

The blue vixen nodded, walking slowly to the guest room while she heard Fox's hums while he was excitedly doing the dinner

She sat on the edge of the bed, it was really soft, thing that surprised her, also there was a sweet aroma in the air, it was lavender, another thing that surprised her is how delicate everything seemed to be in Fox's house, the perfect decoration, the sweet perfume, she thought it was weird for a man to be that genteel.

Seconds after, she heard how Fox knocked the door "Krystal? I've your dinner, I made a grilled cheese sandwich I hope you don't mind" for an instant Krystal had an idea, it was risky, but she assured that it would work

"Oh! Don't worry, actually, I'm really hungry, could you please come back later and make another?" She said in a soft tone of voice, after that, Fox answered

"Sure thing, I'll be right back" then Krystal heard footsteps getting further, she sighed and took time to think, then, a nod of approval.

She started to undress, staying only in her underwear, she thought of the occasion, so she's been wearing expensive lingerie she bought that same day before meeting with Fox, if she had a chance, now was the moment to take it.

She waited until she heard Fox knocking the door again, she lied down on the bed, uncovered, half dressed and softly said "please, come on in."

The red fox entered and saw the scene of Krystal half dressed, lying down looking directly at him, he seemed unaffected. He was smiling innocently as he walked in

"Well, here's your dinner, please enjoy!"

Fox heard a chuckle, Krystal smiled softly as she got up and took the plate, leaving it on the nightstand

"Well, handsome..., we can eat those later... don't you wanna have a little fun before?"

The blue vixen said sinuously, placing both hands on Fox's shoulders, he instantly realised what was happening and began to stutter.

"I-I... really don't know...y-you know? I'm like...s-super tired! and I...j-just want...to sleep!"

Krystal seemed disappointed again, she let go of the vulpine and sat on the bed. "It's okay Fox...I don't want you to do things you don't want to do, have a good night"

The red fox sighed in relief, nodding at the vixen with a soft smile while he got out of the room, once he was out, he closed the door and sighed again before heading to his room.

Before going to sleep, the vulpine decided that it was a good idea to have a shower so he could sleep with the comfortable sensation of the soft recently washed fur and also the sweet lavender aroma his new shampoo had. Fox really loved lavender, it wasn't way too long before discovering the lavender scent, he instantly loved it for no reason why. He entered the bathroom and let the shower water run until it was warm enough, then, while he was entering into the shower, once the water was in the perfect temperature he remembered the day he found out about the aromatic candles that made him fall in love with that plant.

After the Aparoid invasion, the Star Fox team decided to have a break for a few months, and even possibly a year. After all that mess, weeks later, he returned back to his home in Corneria, and before everything, he made sure everything was on place, then he noticed that he ran out of aromatic candles, and without hesitation he went to the grocery store.

He wanted to try something new, and while he was looking at the shelves he heard something, a voice, it was really familiar, but he couldn't place it, the vulpine couldn't remember exactly what the voice said, it was weird, he remembered that he couldn't understand it, it was another language, but the voice was really familiar to him _**"oui, tout va bien, j'habiterai à Corneria depuis aujourd'hui, ne t'inquiète pas"**_ he didn't understand what he said, and he definitely heard a language like that before.

That voice came from the hallway next to him, he couldn't see who was talking, and he couldn't contain the urge of wanting to know whose voice was that, he tried to move away some candles on the shelf just to try to have peek of who was talking, and then he accidentally dropped and broke one of the candles, seeing the mess he made, he scoffed and gave up the chance, he grabbed the candles he dropped and went away, those were the first lavender candles he bought.

Now he couldn't stop thinking on that voice, it was deep and rough, and remembering those words made Fox's chest feel ablaze, something was burning in him every time he remembered that voice, and he didn't really understand why.

He shut the shower off stepping outside all soaked, almost instantly, he grabbed his dryer and started to brush his fur.

Once he was finished, he was all puffy, with his fur shiny and soft like a puppy, he really liked that feeling, but he liked more the sweet scent of lavender.

He opened the door to his bedroom leaving a steam cloud from the bathroom before him, with only a towel around his hips, he looked for a fresh underwear and jumped to his bed.

It was a hot night, he didn't feel like covering himself under the sheets, he just preferred to be there, silent, alone, looking at the ceiling. Soon after, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, diving again in his own thoughts.

...

A breeze.

A sweet zephyr accompanied by a familiar scent is all he felt

"Where am I?"

He thought. All he could see was purple, gentle purple herbs brushing into each other making a soft and relaxing sound, it was a lavender field.

Fox felt paralyzed, he didn't want to move, everything was beautiful around him, he wanted to stay like that forever.

Then, a figure appeared, it was tall, also slender, he really couldn't define what or who that was, but he noticed that it was getting closer.

Fox felt his heart accelerate, not in fear, he didn't feel nervous, not even afraid, it was a feeling he never felt before

And so, finally, Fox managed to recognise the figure now standing in front of him, it was Wolf, Wolf O'Donnell.

Fox didn't say anything, looking directly at the amethyst colored eye.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until the lupine raised a hand, patting Fox's head and then he slightly moved his lips, Fox could hear a whisper, he wasn't really sure what he said, but his thought remained persistent about the first thing he heard. The lupine said "Wait for me."

Fox eventually woke up, he sat on his bed and started looking groggily to his surroundings, looking for something, for someone.

When he realised that he was back in reality, he looked down in disappointment. And in an innocent tantrum he laid down on his bed trying to sleep again and return to that lavender field of his dreams.

During his attempt of sleeping again, he heard a slight knock on his door, and then, a voice.

"Fox? Are you up? It's almost noon and I should get back home"

Fox whispered a swear, he knew he had to take Krystal back home, so he sighed, trying really hard not to scream, and then he got up.

"Yeah, I'm up, gimme a few minutes and I'll take you home" the Fox said while yawning, he took a few minutes to smarten himself up. He decided to wear a crimson red t-shirt with indigo jeans, combining with black sneakers, he took some time to look if everything was perfect and quickly got out of his room grabbing Krystal's hand to make her hurry. Before leaving, he grabbed his car keys, his wallet and his favourite sunglasses. Now he was finally ready to go.

Krystal felt chills when Fox grabbed her hand, she was smiling all blushed, and when they were sitting in the car she murmured "wow Fox...we've been together for two weeks and it's the first time you've grabbed my hand like that" Fox perked his ears, but didn't really paid attention to what Krystal said, he somehow felt he was in a hurry, but when he took time to think, he didn't found a reason why. Eventually calming down, he said.

"Okay...do we have everything in place? Am I forgetting something?...shoot we didn't have breakfast" the vulpine grunted, it was quite adorable to see him grumpy

Krystal giggled after seeing Fox worried about something like that, so she just suggested

"Well, don't worry about that too much, but if you want we can have breakfast together. also! now that I remember! you owe me that Ice cream, don't you?

Fox giggled softly after hearing Krystal's idea, but he thought it wasn't bad at all.

"Okay, looks fine to me! but now about that Ice cream, it's bad for you if you have something like that for breakfast, buuut...we can go to the grocery store, I can buy you that Ice cream, and so I can take advantage and do this week's grocery shopping, sounds good?"

Krystal's eyes shone with excitement, and after she nodded cheerfully, Fox with a smile set off directly to the grocery store.

Along the road, Fox felt something in his chest, his heart was bumping wildy for no reason. He had a feeling, and that feeling was saying him that he had to go to the grocery store as soon as posible, maybe, he could finally meet the man with a rough voice and a rare language

 _~End of chapter 1~_

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_

Well, that's chapter one! I really didn't like that ending, but I couldn't make this chapter longer, so what I wrote after that is the beginning of chapter 2.

Also in chapter 2 Wolf will make an appearance, a physical one (?

I promise that there will be more interaction between these two boys, I hope you liked how's going from here and please be patient for chapter 2, I'll try to post it tomorrow or even later today.


	2. Chapter 2: Fate

**Shooting stars, chapter 2**

 **Fate**

 ***beep, beep***

A welcoming sound came to their ears once they were in the grocery store, Krystal tried to grab Fox's hand in a failed attempt. Fox used that same hand quicker to point at the little shopping carts on the corner.

"We should take one of those, I've a few things to buy, I don't want to carry all those things to the car by myself"

Krystal just nodded and scoffed, waking by Fox's side.

The next few minutes were just chit chatting, small talk until Fox's ears perked up and felt his heart going to his throat.

That voice, the same voice of that memory was back, speaking that language he didn't know

" _Qu'est ce que je dois acheter? Et dépêche-toi"_

It came just behind him, Fox's heart pounded wildly against his chest, he didn't know what was happening.

His curiosity won this round again, and so he started to turn around slightly.

And then, he saw him, a tall, grey maned figure talking on the phone, Fox's heart started to calm down, he finally could relax knowing that his rival was alive. He let a chuckle out in relief, as he smiled widely.

Wolf O'Donnell was in front of his eyes, wearing a black and purple tank top, black trashed skinny jeans and dark red trainers.

Something in Fox tried to push him and make contact with Wolf, but his common sense spoke before, and as soon as he saw him, he started to scream internally to himself "He's your rival! He's your enemy! He'll try to kill you!" his paranoia made his expression drop drastically, he took deep breaths trying to calm himself as he started to walk slowly, Krystal was a few steps ahead from him looking for things she would like to take.

Then, he heard the same voice again, this time speaking in a language he could understand

"Ey, you there. You dropped something"

* **Badump** * Fox heart tackled against his chest, he turned around, and his heart pounded again.

There he was, the leader of the Star Wolf mercenaries, handing Fox a pack of those lavender candles he liked.

Fox was paralyzed in the place he stood, looking directly at the narrow amethyst colored eye. The lupine's voice helped him come back to reality

"You dropped this, sir…? Wait a moment, Fox, is it really you?"

Fox perked his ears after Wolf's words, he calmed down and tried to recover his composure, the atmosphere between them started to feel thick.

The red fox was slightly scared and also happy to see Wolf alive, he had many questions to ask.

"Yes, yes, you sound really surprised to see your rival safe and sound."

That somehow seemed to upset the lupine, he raised an eyebrow in a sarcastic look before responding in a serious tone of voice

"Oh, didn't you mean…"former" rival? don't you remember our "adventures" during the invasion? Had I considered you a rival back then I could have easily let you die in Corneria"

Fox remained silent for a few seconds, taking his time to realize how the lupine's words made absolute sense, he didn't notice that he couldn't stop looking at Wolf's eyes, although one of them was covered by a black leather eye patch.

When he realised, he looked away and had the courage to answer.

"Well...you are right, no enemies, but weren't you considered a war criminal here in Corneria? Also, we thouht that you and your team died after we killed the queen."

Wolf crossed his arms and looked down to the vulpine, literally.

"Well, puppy, if you see me here, doing grocery shopping like a normal civilian, instead of seeing me in jail or even worse, it's maybe because Mr. Pepper forgave all my crimes after helping a pup to avoid an invasion, and dead? Me? Hah, that's what your team wanted"

…"puppy?" Fox felt how both of his ears and cheeks started to burn, also the last statement felt like a thorn stabbing his heart. He clicked his tongue and tried to give a strong and stoic impression with a wide grin, thinking of some joke that could avoid more trouble.

"You don't seem that old to be calling me puppy, how old are you, 60? Need some help with those groceries, grandpa?"

The lupine chuckled slightly and got closer to the vulpine. Fox noticed that Wolf's right ear had a few piercings combining with his outfit, he looked really good with them.

Fox shook his head to vanish that thought.

The proximity to the big bad wolf made him blush even harder. Fox swallowed his own saliva, and looked away again.

"Heh, you've got guts, tiny, I'll call you pup because I want to, you really look like one"

Fox's embarrassment got worse, he dropped his ears, now smiling nervously.

"We should exchange numbers, Fox, I guess you've many questions to ask, but I see that now is not the perfect moment" Wolf moved his snout like pointing at something, that something was Krystal, eyes wide opened in fear and surprise.

"Y-you!" she shouted, before Krystal could act, Wolf quickly grabbed Fox's arm, grasping it tightly for a few seconds and then letting it go

" _Alors_ , _Je dois partir...au revoir"_

The lupine nodded politlely to the couple and calmly walked back to his own business, grabbing his cart and acting like nothing happened

After the lupine disappeared from both Fox and Krystal's sight, the Vixen was the first one to speak up "Fox?! Are you okay?! Did he hurt you? We should call the authorities!"

After a few seconds of confusion, Fox came back to reality after shaking his head. The vulpine put a hand on Krystal's shoulder once he calmed down, stopping her from losing her mind, then he said calmly

"Do not worry Krys, he's not bad anymore, he's just grocery shopping like everyone else"

Krystal seemed to calm down a little, but still, she looked slightly annoyed, then she added.

"...And, may I know why the two of you were talking so close to each other? he looked menacing, I thought he was threatening you or something..." the Vixen said worryingly with her arms crossed. Fox blushed and tried to put up a valid excuse

"Well... it was just a friendly chat, he handed me a candle I dropped…and…" Fox grimaced at the fact that he didn't take the candle back, his excuse wasn't valid anymore.

He felt how Krystal's eyes pierced his face, she was crossing her arms waiting for an answer

"Well! We just talked about how he's living now in Corneria, that Pepper gave his redemption, that we're not rivals anymore and...well, nothing more...we didn't have enough time to talk things out before you appeared, like how he survived after we killed the aparoid queen."

Krystal was convinced after that, but her annoyance was still there, she clicked her tongue and answered

"Oh, so I interrupted something important?"

Fox answered innocently

"Well, yes! I had many questions to ask, and I could have got many answers if you didn't appear shouting and threatening to call the authorities"

Krystal took a pause before answering

"You and I will have a serious conversation."

Fox dropped his ears after feeling the anger in her tone of voice, he just looked down and apologised.

Krystal just sighed and tried to calm down, it wasn't very polite of her, so she patted Fox's back and started to talk softly "What if after this we go to that Waffle House you really like and have a decent breakfast?" Fox's tail started to wag, signal of his approval.

* * *

" _quelle horreur, cette madame a un problème"_

The lupine whispered to himself. He was exiting the store as he looked back with a concerned look.

"I feel sorry for that pup, what a woman..."

He walked directly to a black and stylish car, knocking the window and talking to the one who was driving it.

"Well pussycat, you opening the doors or not"

He could hear a soft purr, behind the doors was Panther Caroso on the driver seat, he was wearing a black half-opened chemise, with dark red pants and black shoes.

"I can't explain how you're not dying with that outfit, don't you feel how hot it is today?

The feline laughed, answering with that characteristic smirk.

"Well sir, while I've air conditioning I can assure you that I won't suffer a heat stroke"

Wolf just nodded before speaking.

"That's good to know, now open the trunk, I can't carry all these bags on the copilot seat."

With just the press of a button, Wolf could hear a clicking sound. It took a few minutes after he came back and sat in the car.

Once he was in, he let out a sigh

"Geez, what a day"

The lupine complained, Panther just chuckled, he was used to Wolf's repetitive complaints.

" _Dis moi, qu'est-il arrivé?"_

Wolf sighed and started to talk

"There's no need to talk Venomnian while we're in private, I'd rather talk in Cornerian, the so called "universal" language."

And again the feline just chuckled before nodding, then he listened to the lupine's story

"Well, I was grocery shopping as usual, and then I heard something fall while I was talking to you on the phone, I picked it up and went to return that thing, it was a lavender aromatic candle"

"Oh! I love those" Panther interrupted cheerfully swinging his tail softly. Wolf cleared his throat presuming that he had more to say, the feline just nodded and apologized for interrupting.

"And well, I tried to return this candle to its owner, and this owner was no other than Fox McCloud"

Panther gasped softly, but didn't interrupt

"And well, we started to talk. He thought that we were enemies, I told him not to worry, that now I'm just a common citizen, and more chit chat. Then her crazy ass girlfriend came in shouting, and before she called the police I quickly wrote my number on Fox's arm"

Panther shook his head, there were a lot of things that didn't make sense, so he started to enumerate them.

"Woa woa there, first. You had a pen the whole time?"

Wolf raised an eyebrow and answered with a serious tone of voice

"Yeah, the one you gave me to do the list, I've been keeping it the whole time"

"Okay, second, you gave him your phone number, knowing that he was taken? Damn, I thought that I was the only one who did that kind of things"

Wolf growled, now with furrowed eyebrows

"You dumb cat, I'm not trying to flirt with him! I did it in a friendly way, like to talk later, he needed answers and so do I, but because of her crazy girlfriend we couldn't talk"

Panther bursted a laugh again before answering sarcastically

"Pff, friendly? You? The lonesome wolf? I'd like to see that….Oh! Also third! What was Krystal wearing?

Wolf's eye twitched, he wanted to strangle the feline in that precise moment, but he just sighed and answered.

"Fuck off and start driving"

Panther sighed and obliged, never taking out that soft smile he had.

"Yikes man...rude…, also, did you manage to return the candle?"

Wolf simply sighed and talked back

"Nah, I ended up buying it, I was curious how those things smelled, I'll put it in my room"

Panther smile got wider, and then he answered with great joy

"Ah! I'm so glad! Finally your room will stop smelling like-"

Panther shut up once he felt Wolf's glare burning his face and heard the lupine's growls, he swallowed and kept the rest of the road in complete silence.

The Star Wolf team lived in one of the buildings in Corneria city, after the Aparoid invasion each member wanted to begin a no-crime normal life now that they had the chance, the flat they lived in, owned by Panther Caroso, was a luxurious duplex, well accommodated with great views. Panther's family was always wealthy, owning a successful business based on fashion and formal clothes, now he decided to keep up with the familiar business.

Leon Powalsky somehow ended up working in a barbershop, he had great skills with scissors and razors.

Wolf was the only one who was unemployed, his reputation complicated everything, his teammates weren't as known as he was, so he decided to be the one who took care of some of the house job like grocery shopping and cooking sometimes.

Although they left their criminal lives behind, they conserved their Wolfens and their licenses, General Pepper had their skills in consideration, and stated that, when it's needed, he could require their aid.

Wolf didn't complain about that.

When both the lupine and the feline arrived home, they found Leon sitting on the wide couch in the middle of the living room reading the newspaper, he was silent as always

"Yeah, good evening for you too"

The feline said while helping Wolf with the groceries. Leon just gave a thumbs up from where he was sitting.

After a few minutes, once everything was organized, Wolf found the candle Fox dropped while checking the last bag, he sighed and walked to his room, waving a hand to his comrades.

Once in, he grimaced after feeling the musk in the air, Panther was right about his room smelling funny.

He placed the candle in a shelf, he lit it and then lied down on his bed looking directly to the ceiling.

He breathed deeply and felt how the sweet and delicate aroma replaced the smell the room had before.

He smiled softly and thought to himself

"I really like it."

He closed his eyes, eventually lost in his thoughts, he fell asleep

. . .

A breeze and a sweet scent caressed his fur.

Wolf opened his eyes.

He didn't know where he was, also didn't bother about that, he liked what he was seeing.

Blue skies, and the sweet sound of plants brushing into each other

"A lavender field"

He simply thought, he analyzed his surroundings more focused this time, there was a small chateau in the distance,

He turned around, more lavender.

When he turned around again, he noticed something else.

Something, someone was walking through the lavender, directly to him.

Wolf felt alarmed, also nervous, he wanted to defend himself, but somehow he felt that the one who approached him wasn't an enemy.

Then he could finally see it, a red fox, almost one head shorter than him was looking directly to his eyes.

Wolf's heart started to flutter as he saw the emerald colored eyes looking at him, he didn't know what was happening and tilted his head in confusion.

The vulpine got closer and gently grabbed Wolf's hand, he smiled softly and his lips moved.

Wolf heard a whisper

The vulpine said

"I'll wait for you."

* * *

Wolf woke up soaked in sweat, Lylat was setting in the horizon but still, the air was scorching and the air conditioner was off.

He groggily got up and looked to his surroundings. He quickly got out of his room and walked directly to Panther's

He entered without even knocking and saw him doing something he didn't really understand, and didn't want to know, he just shouted at the feline

"You damn cat! Did you put something in my drink again?"

The feline quickly covered himself and shouted back

"Shit! Wolf! Don't you know what knocking the door is?! I'm in the middle of something! And fuck no! It's been weeks since the last time!"

Wolf just growled and got out of that room closing the door, he walked back to his room and looked at the candle.

He desperately looked for the box packaging the candle and once he found it, he read the ingredients.

There was nothing weird.

He sat on the edge of his bed and placed a hand on his forehead

"What the hell was that dream about."

. . .

"Well Krystal, I hope you enjoyed the meal and the Ice cream, I'll call you soon!"

The fox waved at the Vixen walking to her house, the skies were already turning orange and the clouds took a peachy tone of color, he liked the view and wished to have enough time to see the sunset, but it was getting late and wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Time passed, when he arrived home it was already dark, he looked at the time on his phone.

"19:00? Well, I should start thinking about dinner"

The vulpine murmured to himself and walked in, once inside he hopped into the couch, ending up between sitting and lying down on it. He sighed and thought of the day he had.

"After breakfast, Krystal wanted to go shopping, we went for a walk in the park, had lunch...and before that...fuck, the groceries"

Fox got up and ran to his car, he opened the trunk and started to grab all the bags he could.

Back in his house, he organised everything, which took a few minutes. When he was almost finished, he noticed that there was a candle left, he had on his list "5 big lavender candles", and he only had 4, then, his memories came back

He didn't take the candle back from Wolf.

He remembered the chat he had with the lupine and how abruptly it had ended.

His arm, before going away, Wolf grabbed Fox's arm.

Caressing the place the lupine grabbed, he noticed that under the fur there was something written, it was kind of smudgy, but the message was still clear.

It was Wolf's number.

Fox heart pounded fiercely against his chest with excitement.

He hesitated for a second, but soon the vulpine grabbed his phone and added Wolf's contact.

-20:00-

Fox was still looking directly at Wolf's contact page, he has been thinking the whole time to message him and maybe talk with him, but he didn't felt brave enough to do it.

He looked at the time and gasped, it was too late to do something, he had to do something quickly for dinner.

"Pizza! Of course!"

The vulpine exclaimed to himself as he grabbed his phone and started to make an order with a practical app.

Fox's stomach started to rumble as he waited for the pizza delivery, when the bell rang, he instantly got up and ran to the door.

When he opened it, it was for his surprise that the delivery man was actually Falco Lombardi.

He stood in silence for a few seconds, trying to assimilate what he was seeing. Falco's voice made him come back to his senses

"Ugh McCloud, the pizza is getting cold"

Fox, yet in shock, answered in disbelief

"Uh...Falco? Did you waste all the compensation money you got after the Invasion and now you're that broke that you are now working as a pizza delivery man?"

Falco grimaced and chuckled after that.

"What the fuck man, of course not! It's a long story. Listen, this is my last delivery before my turn ends, mind if I join you?"

Fox tilted his head and simply answered

"Of course, come in"

Falco nodded and the two walked in, the avian left the pizza in the dining table, as he made himself comfortable, leaving his uniform cap on the coat stand next to the main door

"Well, will you tell me now why are you working as a Pizza delivery man?"

The vulpine said while sitting on one of the chairs next to the dining table, the avian looked at him and nodded with a smirk

"Ya, sure, you'll see, my brother's sick and asked me to replace him at his job, and...here I am!"

Fox looked at Falco with both eyebrows raised in a mean and bored look

"You said it was a long story, and that's the most pitiful story I've ever listened"

Falco answered offended

"Dude?! Mean! I'm trying to help my bro, he surely thinks I'm the best brother in the world."

The avian said proudly with a wide grin, after that, he continued

"Anyway, how was your day, you really look tired"

Fox sighed and smiled at his friend, starting to summarize today's events.

"Well, today I went grocery shopping with Krystal...also had breakfast with her, and basically spent the day with her, nothing really important. Ah! Also I met Wolf O'Donnell in the grocery store, he's now a Cornerian citizen, I was talking with him until Krystal saw him and lost her mind"

Falco almost choked with the pizza slice he was eating, he talked even though his mouth was full

"Wolf?! Wolf O'Donnelf?! Fidn't he die after fe afaroid invafion?!" He swallowed.

"We all thought he was dead and now he's living in Corneria?, and where are his teammates?"

Fox cleaned with his thumb some of "bullets" the avian shot at the vulpine's face while he was talking, trying not to jump and strangle him, he responded

"Yes, he's alive, Pepper gave his redemption after helping us during the Invasion, and about his teammates, I don't really know, maybe they're living together, or having separated lives, I don't know. Oh! He even gave me his phone number"

Falco choked again, at this point Fox would end up killing the avian.

Falco tried to swallow, and when he made it, he coughed a few times. He took a deep breath before answering

"Wow, that Wolf surely is going hard on you"

Fox ears perked up and started to burn, almost immediately the vulpine gave his response

"Falco, he knows that I'm with Krystal, he just wanted to talk"

Falco rolled his eyes and laughed

"Pff...yeah, whatever...have you said something to him after that...or?

Fox finished his slice and answered

"Nah, I've been thinking about saying something, but I really don't know what to say"

Falco just smiled before talking back

"That's easy, let me help you, give me your phone and I'll say something to help you two start a conversation"

Fox looked at Falco in disbelief and distrust, but he ended up obliging. He hesitated for a second, and handed his phone to the avian

"Good, nooow…~, let's think of something serious and simple, but not too much, like…~"

Falco started to murmur as he typed the words in Fox's phone

{hi handsome, I'm feeling lonely and needed, want to come to my pla-}

Fox interrupted before Falco could continue

"Falco! I'm with Krystal, don't you remember?"

Falco just laughed as he erased the text and started a new one

"Hehehe, okay, okay... what about.."

Falco started to murmur again

{hey, want me to suck your di-}

"Falco! For fuck's sake!"

The avian started to laugh drastically as Fox's face started to burn.

Falco was erasing the message as the vulpine tried to get his phone back, and by mistake he pressed send at some point.

It simply said:

{hey}

Falco looked at Fox with a proud grin

"See? Simple and good enough to start a conversation."

Fox scoffed and grabbed his phone, soon after, he felt the how it vibrated, having a new notification.

Wolf replied back saying:

{Hey. Who is this, are you Fox?}

Falco looked at Fox with that arrogant smirk

"Oooh, so formal, what are you going to reply?"

The vulpine looked at the avian with an angry look before talking back.

"Ugh shut up, I'm trying to think"

Fox looked up in a thoughtful way, finally coming up with a good idea he instantly started to type

{Yes, this is Fox.

Uhm, I'm sorry about what happened at the grocery store}

Falco smiled and nodded before talking again

"Hey that's really good, you should ask him for a date"

Fox sent a deadly glare to the avian, making him to shut up, he soon noticed that Wolf was writing, then sending two messages, one after another

{Hey, it's okay, shit happens.}

{Also, I was thinking that maybe you've many questions to ask, and so do I. And since we barely got time to talk, maybe you would want to meet me tomorrow and talk things out like normal people.}

Falco giggled, and before he could say something he saw Fox's deadly glare again, closing his beak.

Fox instantly answered back, his tail wagging softly.

{That sounds good to me!}

{When and where should that be?}

Fox waited a few seconds before getting a reply

{There's a new cafeteria on central park called Starlight's, maybe we could meet there.

At 13:00 maybe?, I'm totally free, so I don't mind the time}

Falco glared at Fox, slightly surprised by Fox's amusement, his tail was wagging and had shiny eyes.

He chuckled mockingly.

{Perfect! I'll be there as punctual as possible.

See you there!}

Wolf replied almost instantly

{Good, see you tomorrow, pup.}

Fox's tail started to wag wildly, he didn't understand where that excitement came from, but it wasn't something he disliked.

He looked to his right and noticed Falco glaring at him with deadly serious eyes

"What are you looking at"

Falco just let out a tiny laugh

"What is so funny?!"

Falco finally answered

"Nothing! Nothing! I'm just glad you got a date"

Fox's cheeks turned rosy before he answered angrily

"It's not a date! It's just...a formal meeting"

Falco chuckled again and answered

"Pff, yeah, whatevs, also...since it's too late, mind if I sta-"

"Leave."

Fox interrupted before Falco could finish talking

"Dude, that was just mean, and very rude"

Fox sighed and smiled at his friend

"I know, and I'm sorry, but no. You can't stay for the night"

Falco clicked his tongue and walked to the main door, grabbing his cap.

And before opening the door, Falco looked back and tried to do puppy eyes at Fox

Fox grimaced after seeing that attempt of puppy eyes.

Falco left and closed the door.

Seconds after Fox heard that someone was knocking the door.

He got up and opened it, it was Falco again with his hand extended

"The pizza is 10.99 Cornerian Dollars"

Fox's eye twitched, he grabbed his wallet from his pocket and handed the exact quantity of money he requested without saying a word.

"Thank you! And enjoy your date!"

Fox closed the door in front of Falco's face and shouted

"it's not a date! It's a formal meeting!"

Falco headed back to the motorcycle he came with while murmuring and laughing to himself

"Hahaha...formal meeting he says, haha...a formal meeting…"

Fox sighed and finally calmed down. He looked at the time and almost jumped after seeing how late it was

"Damn, 23:45 already? I must sleep early and get ready for tomorrow"

Fox thought to himself after grabbing his phone and then he walked towards his room.

Before going to doze off, Fox smiled widely and murmured to himself

"Tomorrow will be a great day."

 _~End of chapter 2~_

* * *

 ** _Authors Notes  
_**

Finally! I tried to make this chapter even longer, I want everyone to enjoy this story as much as possible, and I'll try my best to achieve it.

Tomorrow Il'l be working on Chapter 3, it will be as fluffy as possible, but don't expect too much, it's too soon yet. But I promise that I won't disappoint you!

Also don't hesitate if you want to comment something, I'll gladly read the messages


	3. Chapter 3: Coup de Foudre

**_Author's note_**

Hi and good morning! I'm really sorry about the delay, I've been working on this chapter an entire day, and it could be even longer, but I really was getting too carried away. This chapter was originally thought to be divided in 3 different stories, one with Fox and Wolf, other with Krystal and Miyu, and other with Falco and Panther, but after seeing that only two stories were actually 5000 words I didn't want to make this thing longer, so Krystal and Miyu will have their story on chapter 4.

I'm actually really greatful for all these views, and although I only got one review, it motivated me to continue writing this story. Also, one of my best friends helped me a lot with this. If it weren't for him, I surely would have stopped writing.

Well, I don't have more to say, so please, enjoy the story!

 _Shooting stars chapter 3_

 _ **Coup de foudre**_

The sound of birds chirping woke up the red fox sleeping sweetly in his bed, after yawning and stretching, he grabbed his phone and looked at the time.

9:00 am

Fox smiled in relief knowing that he didn't get up late and had enough time to get prepared for today's meeting. Without taking more time, he jumped out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. He smartened up as always before showering, he made sure that he was perfect and spotless.

Now with shiny and soft fur, the vulpine got out of the bathroom and looked for a decent outfit, he wanted something formal, but not too much. After taking some minutes looking at his wardrobe he decided to wear a red and black short sleeved chemise, white skinny jeans and black shoes, also, he ended up wearing a silver necklace with the Star Fox logo.

He looked to himself in the mirror and smirked.

"I'm looking fiiiine~"

He thought cheerfuly with his tail was wagging euphorically.

He decided not to make something complicated for breakfast. He quickly made two sandwiches and started to grill them. Once they were perfectly toasted, Fox placed them on a plate and walked to his living room. He sat on the couch and turned on his TV trying to distract himself while he was eating.

The vulpine watched the news reports, where they didn't say nothing really important, once the passed to the Weather report, Fox noticed that they warned about a summer storm coming soon, he was thankful that it wasn't today when the storm was going to show up.

Once he finished his meal, Fox got up and cleaned everything up before checking the time again.

"11:30, looking good, I'll be going at noon, it's better if I arrive as soon as possible."

The vulpine thought to himself, nodding confidently. He spent the remaining minutes watching TV, and once he noticed that it was time to take off, he grabbed everything he needed, his keys, his wallet, his sunglasses and his phone.

With a burning feeling in his chest, Fox smiled and got in his car, soon starting to drive to the meeting destination.

The vulpine finally made it to the Central Park at 12:50, he frequently looked at his phone, trying to remember the name of the café where he was supposed to meet Wolf, after wandering around for a while he found the place, it was a modern little café with it's terrace, getting closer to it, he noticed that his meeting had arrived before.

Wolf was sitting on one of the chairs in the terrace crossing his legs and looking at his phone. Fox took a deep breath and walked forward, when the lupine noticed him, he smiled slightly and waved to the red fox.

 ***Badump*** Fox's heart pounded again when he saw Wolf's smile, when he was almost in front of him, he analyzed his attire. A dark purple half opened chemise, dark blue jeans and black shoes, he liked how he was looking, also noticed that he was still wearing those piercings in his right ear, giving a cool and tough look to his informal outfit. Fox couldn't help looking at the bare chest fur popping out of the lupine's chemise. He blushed and looked away.

Wolf got up and greeted Fox with another smile and a handshake, the vulpine did the same with a slightly nervous smirk. Then, it was the lupine the first one to speak.

"It's good to see you, Fox "

Fox ears twitched, he felt a little more calm than before, answering afterwards.

"Likewise, Wolf, how you've been doing?"

The lupine sighed as he sat back, he responded after that.

"Well, living a pretty boring life, but since it's calm, I don't have a lot to complain about. What about you?"

Wolf looked at Fox like telling him that he could also sit in front of him, Fox did as he expected and spoke back.

"Uhm, I'd say the same, after we came back from the mess with the aparoids we decided to take a break for a few months, which by the way. We thought that you and your team died after the queen blew up, you vanished without saying nothing."

Wolf raised an eyebrow and answered with his serious tone of voice.

"And of course, when someone disappears without saying goodbye, you take the conclusion that they died. That's an easy way to answer doubts."

Fox looked down embarrassed about that statement, he was totally right and didn't realize how absurd it sounded until now.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean…"

The lupine chuckled when he heard Fox's apology, which made Fox's ears perk up and blush moderately.

"It's okay pup, you don't have to be sorry about that, we thought the same about you, after all, you were the one who took the risk on that almost-suicidal mission."

Wolf continued before Fox could answer.

"But I knew you wouldn't die, after all, you are as talented as me, no one can equal our skills."

The lupine laughed proudly. The vulpine sent him a condescending look after hearing how he flattered himself, but he ended up chuckling with Wolf.

After a few minutes, the waiter showed up, a little feline holding a little notebook talked to both Wolf and Fox

"Hi! Welcome to Starlight's, would you want to order something?"

Wolf looked at Fox and nodded, telling him to order first.

"Oh! Yes! I'd like uhm...a mochaccino coffee and a chocolate muffin, thank you."

After that, the lupine simply requested

"I'll have just a short cup of black coffee, thank you."

The little feline nodded cheerfully and came back inside the cafeteria.

Fox looked at the lupine and tilted his head

"Wow, you like it strong, don't you?"

Wolf laughed and smiled at Fox before responding.

"And you know it pup, I like my coffee just how I like many other things."

Wolf was still laughing, noticing that Fox was tilting his head looking at him with thoughtful eyes, he didn't get the dirty joke, and deep inside him he was grateful for that.

The lupine laughed at how the vulpine was still trying to understand his joke, unconsciously saying what he was thinking.

"Huh, innocent and cute, just like a puppy."

There was a silent pause after that, when Wolf realised, he opened widely his functional eye.

"Did I just called him cute?!"

Wolf exclaimed internally to himself, when the lupine looked at Fox, he was laughing vigorously. He didn't take the compliment as a flirt, he was that kind of person that thought that compliments were normal opinions someone should share without remorse, but something inside him was burning, his ears were looking down and feeling ablaze.

"Wow thank you Wolf, I feel flattered, also, you're looking good today!"

Unlike Fox, Wolf took that compliment seriously and blushed, he felt something fluttering inside him, but remembered the fact that the vulpine wasn't single, that changed the bigger canine's expression to a more serious one, then, he asked.

"Wait, why are you returning the compliment? I thought you were with that blue woman, how's she named...Krystal was it?"

Fox nodded and tilted his head again, this time smiling softly.

"What do you mean? Why would the fact that I'm with Krystal stop me to return a compliment? After all, compliments are just sincere opinions that can easily make someone's day."

Wolf kept silent at that statement, the vulpine had made a great point, he was so pure and honest he couldn't even think about something that could corroborate that. Fox spoke again.

"Well, now I'm curious, you call me pup really frequently, how old are you, grandpa? You don't seem that old."

Wolf sighed trying to forget what happened a few minutes ago, then he vaguely responded.

"I'm 26 years old, I'll be 27 soon during the winter season"

Fox seemed surprised, he answered back shortly after that.

"Wh-what?! You're only 5 years older than me? I thought you were at least 10!"

Wolf scoffed and looked at Fox.

"Wow, thanks, now I know I look old."

The vulpine's expression dropped, worried about hurting the lupine's feelings.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you old, it's just that your strong and tough looks give the impression that you are older and…"

Wolf blushed and started to chuckle, it wasn't the reaction he expected.

"Oh c'mon pup, I was kidding, don't worry too much."

They both laughed until their order came, and before they could even tasted it, a yell could be heard in the distance, someone yelled something they didn't pay attention at first. And soon after, their table flipped with everything on it.

Fox focused on his muffin flipping around and ending up on the floor, upset about it, he said with a little whine.

"Hey...my muffin…"

When he looked back, he saw the scene of someone shouting at Wolf, engulfed by rage.

Wolf was sitting calmly, arms and legs crossed looking at this stranger.

"You! You are Wolf O'Donnell! You are the one who killed my brother, you ruined our family! And you have the audacity to be sitting here like everyone else! Scum like you should be in jail!"

Wolf didn't do anything, he was there listening to all those horrible things the stranger had to say.

Fox looked at both in panic, he was really confused about how fast everything happened.

"I'll make you pay for your crimes since the government is that useless!"

Fox saw how this stranger raised his fist, and without a second thought he got up and grabbed his arm before it could hit the lupine.

Wolf had his eye closed, assimilating that he was going to take the hit. But for his surprise he saw the red fox in front of him.

"Wh-wha…? You're Fox McCloud! Why the fuck did you stop me!? You are a hero, and he's a fucking criminal! A murderer! You shouldn't be defending this kind of scum, you should be defending me!"

Fox attitude changed radically after hearing those words, he pushed away this stranger and shouted back.

"He's NOT a fucking criminal, you hear me!? He was just a soldier doing his fucking duty as a goddamn soldier, just like me! And if you say that he's a murderer, you should be calling me a murderer too! Because as he did, I killed many others, and ruined many families, even more than him!"

Wolf looked at the scene perplexed, with his mouth slightly open. Fox's rage continued.

"And about fucking heroics, you owe him your fucking life, as I owe him mine! Because if you don't remember, we all fucking survived an invasion a few months ago, and if it weren't for him, all of us would have died!"

Something fluttered inside of Wolf's chest, he never saw Fox in that state of rage, not even during their dog fights. Fox eyes started to turn reddish as he continued and finally finished with his rantings.

"He may be not a hero for you, but he's MY hero! He saved my life, not once, but twice! Even after I shot him down during the war, even after I condemned his planet to ruin, even after I ruined most of his plans, he saved my fucking life!"

After that, Fox remained silent recovering his breath, everyone nearby were shocked, they couldn't believe their eyes that such a celebrity, known for having a noble heart, had such hard thoughts of himself.

Wolf was still disconcerted, he was listening to the comments of the passers-by around them as he looked around. Some of them looked terrified and surprised, others were laughing in awe.

"Wow, such temper."

"He snapped."

"Wig snatched."

The stranger didn't know what to say, he just walked back a few steps and started to run with his tail between his legs.

When Wolf looked back at Fox, the vulpine was looking at him silently, he didn't express it, but Wolf could see sadness in his eyes.

"Let's go, Wolf."

Quickly, Wolf got up and followed Fox, who first paid for what they ordered and apologized for all the chaos they've caused, then he started to walk without knowing where he was going, Wolf walking behind.

After a few minutes in silence, Wolf was the first one to speak.

"Uhm...Fox...are you okay?"

Fox answered vaguely, he was wandering in his thoughts again.

"Hm? Yeah, I am."

Wolf sighed and responded back.

"You don't really sound like that...look, could you please wait a second?"

Fox stopped after Wolf finished talking, he didn't say nothing and waited for Wolf to continue. Wolf sighed and started talking again.

"Why did you defend me back there? You really didn't have to...I'm used to this kind of mess."

Fox came back to his senses and answered seriously looking at the lupine's eye, with a little anger in his tone.

"Because you're my friend, Wolf! And I wouldn't let anyone hurt a friend!"

Wolf could feel a knot tying in his throat at the moment he heard those words, his voice started to tremble.

"Y-you consider me...a friend?"

Fox sighed and smiled before answering.

"Yes, of course I do, you did a lot for me back then during the invasion, and that little time I spent with you, was actually one of the happiest in my life. I've always wanted to meet you like this, talking about what we like, knowing each other, joking and laughing together...be friends, and I'm really happy that it was actually possible."

Wolf didn't say anything, he felt how his sight started to get blurry, and before anything got out from his eye, he sighed and smiled softly cleaning the tear from his eye with his thumb, after that, he looked at the vulpine in front of him and embraced him tightly, saying the only thing he could think of.

"Thank you."

Fox's entire body tensed, he was happy he could finally know the real Wolf O'Donnell, but he wasn't expecting the hug, he instantly blushed and started to tremble. After a few seconds, Fox hugged back, feeling the soft fur from wolf's chest against his own, his well defined arms wrapping him, and the soft musk mixtured with...lavender?

"Wait a moment, how's it that you smell just like one of my lavender candles?"

Wolf's cheeks turned rosy and let go of the vulpine before answering.

"Uhm...well...since I couldn't return it to you, I decided to buy it, I wanted to know how those things smelled."

Fox smiled happily, then asked back

"Oh! And did you like it?"

Wolf's ears twitched and looked at Fox's eyes with a toothy grin

"Yeah, they smelled really good, I should buy more of those."

Fox's heart jumped again when he saw Wolf's smile, he couldn't help but smile with him.

"Then, wanna go for a walk and buy some candles?"

The lupine chuckled, his tail started to wag as he started to walk.

" _...bien sûr"_

* * *

 _That same day..._

Lylat was starting to deep in the ocean, an avian was cleaning himself up after a shower, naked in front of a wide mirror. There was soft music in the background as he started to groom himself and doing poses.

The avian murmured to himself as he started to check his own body.

"Damn, Lombardi, you lookin' fiiine as hell…"

He continued his mutterings as he touched and caressed each part of his body he mentioned.

"Look at this face, look at these abs...look at this juicy ass…ugh! I'm feeling so good today! I must enjoy this feeling before it vanishes, but how…"

Falco was still talking to himself euphorically, he put a hand under his beak thoughtfully, then he came up with the best idea.

"Ah! I know the perfect place!"

He suddenly ran to his dresser, looking in one of the drawers, he found a shiny golden card, and smiled in success.

Without hesitation, he started to look for a nice outfit, as formal as possible.

He ended up wearing a white shirt, a black suit, a crimson red tie, black pants and dark brown shoes, once he finished with his outfit, he looked again in the mirror, again placing a hand in his beak.

"I could improve this... there must be something...aha!"

He found a stylish choker in one of the drawers in the wardrobe, trying it, it fitted perfectly, giving to his formal attire a spicy look.

Finally feeling satisfied, he grabbed all his goods, mobile, wallet, and that card before going out.

He drove to a luminous and luxurious looking bar in the middle of Corneria City, the entrance was guarded by two big felines, once he approached, they looked down to the avian, the tigress was the one who spoke first

"Hold up birdie, do you have permission to enter?"

Falco nodded with his arrogant grin, showing his card. Both felines looked at it, then nodded giving their approval, opening the door afterwards.

"Please, enjoy your night, Falco Lombardi"

The avian winked at both as he started to walk inside.

That bar was known and frequented by celebrities and wealthy people, it was exclusive for them. Also, the bar was principally used as a place to hook up with someone, normally for one-night pleasures, and if you were lucky, for more serious relationships.

Falco was welcomed by a sweet scent of alcohol in the air, it wasn't that crowded, but the place was almost full. Falco got closer to the bar, and asked for a sweet tropical sangría, which was served almost immediately. When he gave the first sip, it tasted stronger than he thought. Some people recognised the avian, who greeted him, he returned the greetings with a wink, but no one stopped by and talked to him.

Until he was finishing his first drink, he could hear a soft purr behind him. It was Panther Caroso who spoke.

"Oh my, oh my...look at who decided to appear this evening"

Falco chuckled after recognising that voice, without facing Panther, he murmured.

"Heh, I thought I heard a pussycat…"

Then, he finally turned around and looked at those yellow narrowed eyes. Panther was wearing a full black suit with a red shirt and black tie. Both were smiling arrogantly. Falco talked again with a wide smirk.

"I did! I did hear a pussycat!"

Panther chuckled and looked away, he responded to Falco's pitiful joke.

"Cut it out birdie, that joke is getting old. Also, you don't seem surprised about seeing me here, did that little foxy told you that we were living in Corneria?

Falco clicked his fingers asking for another drink, while on it, he gave his response.

"Well, he did told me that Wolf was alive, so I supposed you and that sociopathic lizard were alive as well, what I'm surprised about, is that you were known enough to be accepted in here."

Panther's smile got wider and sat on the stool next to Falco, asking for a drink, and then, he started to check the avian's suit, looking at the label on the neck. Falco jumped out and exclaimed.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing, man!?"

Panther chuckled and looked sinuously to the avian. He answered softly

" _Le royaume noir,_ huh?"

The avian knew that it was the name of the brand of the suit he was wearing, it was his best suit.

"Yes…? And what about it?"

Once Panther's drink was served, he took a sip, then he said clearly.

"I own the brand."

The avian choked with his drink and felt a _déjà vu_ , he was starting to hate surprises.

"What?! No fucking way…"

The feline chuckled again and answered.

"It is, my parents owned the business, and by law as their only son, I inherited it."

Falco looked at Panther in disbelief and asked.

"I don't understand, if you were fated to be that wealthy, why did you become a mercenary and join Star Wolf?"

Panther expression changed, it was the first time he looked serious. He took another sip of his drink and answered

"You surely wouldn't understand or even care if explained why…"

Falco felt a little annoyed and offended by that statement, so he replied.

"What do you mean!? That I'm dumb and that I wouldn't understand your point of view?"

Panther grimaced and started to laugh. He answered after calming down.

"Of course not, you dummy! I mean that the reason why I became a mercenary is really too absurd and it would give you more questions, after all, everyone thinks the same in this corrupted society."

Falco tilted his head, he felt more relaxed after hearing the feline's words, so he responded back.

"Well, I don't know, but it surely sounds like messed up shit, you can tell me if you want, but meanwhile we can talk about something else, if you prefer."

Panther was surprised about Falco's empathy, he smiled kindly and nodded, the avian talked again.

"So tell me, what are you doing in here?"

Panther sighed after taking another sip, he tried to get comfortable in that stool and began to answer.

"I come here often, I really like how they prepare their mojitos, also if I'm lucky, to hook-up with someone, I don't really mind who. And what about you?"

Falco stopped drinking, leaving the glass half full, after taking a deep breath, he responded.

"I came here to hook-up and meet people, I was feeling great today, and couldn't resist that desire of adventure for one night."

Panther laughed vigorously, his tail was swinging softly, he started to feel comfortable with the avian sitting next to him. Falco continued talking.

"So, talk me about yourself, I'm curious about who is Panther Caroso"

Panther seemed surprised again, until now, no one cared about knowing him, they just wanted to do "business" and leave. After wandering in his thoughts, he answered.

"Well, I'm 25 years old, I'm living with my teammates in a duplex my family had here in Corneria, I'm keeping up with the familiar business..."

Falco heard attentively to all the feline had to say, he talked about what he loved, about his teammates and what he thought about them. Panther felt really comfortable when he was talking to the avian, it was a feeling he couldn't explain. Once he finished talking, Falco talked again.

"Hah, you really seem a lovely guy, such a pity that the first time we met was as enemies. Also, there's something I still don't understand, if you had all this "business" thing waiting for you, then why being a mercenary?"

Panther's expression dropped again. He asked before saying anything else.

"Do you really want to know? You'll surely get bored or even be annoyed by my point of view"

Falco nodded with confidence, he wanted to know.

"Yes, I do wanna know, I don't mind listening to you, after all, we are allies now! I would like to help, just like you did back then."

Panther felt something warm in his chest, it was nice to see that someone actually cared and treated him kindly without any type of interest, without taking more time, he began.

"You'll see, I know that a lot of people say that being the only kid of a wealthy family is the best thing that could happen to someone. But that's pure nonsense, my childhood was nothing really special, I had everything, but never felt the love of my parents, they just wanted someone that could maintain their kingdom, not a son they would take care of, I was raised to be the ideal CEO, the king of the textile industry. When I became 20 years old, I got fed up with all that economic garbage, they were pure lies painted pink, hiding exploitation, slavery and even abuse. That wasn't right, I wanted to end everything, I wanted to feel something intense for the first time in my life, I wanted adventure and wreck everything behind. Then I saw Star Wolf in action, I knew for that precise moment that my true passion was to fly, and be a mercenary. So well, I started to study really hard, practiced day and night, and after the Lylat Wars, I tried to apply to be a Star Wolf member, you know the rest of the story."

When Panther looked back to the avian, he was looking directly at him with shining eyes, he felt emotional because of the story, or maybe the alcohol. He dried his eyes by blinking a few times and rubbing them.

"Uh...Falco? You good?"

The avian answered tremblingly

"Yeah...yeah, I'm good, it's just...your story is so tragical, and emotional and...inspirational…"

Falco said groggily, he was feeling really dizzy.

Panther chuckled, and patted Falco's back.

"Are you drunk already? You've only drank two sangrías and you truly look awful."

After the feline said that, the barman interfered and explained the possible reason why the avian was already drunk.

"Well sir, I must say that, unlike many bars, we don't use juice, we use fruit flavoured liquors, one after another, to give more spice and strength to the beverage"

Panther looked at the barman shocked, then, he replied surprised.

"What!? That beverage is almost fruit juice, how many liquors you added to his drink?"

The man felt intimidated by Panther's tone of voice, he replied trembling a little.

"U-uhm...I used strawberry vodka, cherry brandy, lime gin, orange rum and...lemon flavoured vodka…I suppose you know the other ingredients, sir…"

Panther shouted even more surprised than before

"Seriously!? And you call that a goddamn sangria?! You should call it a guaranteed coma! One more cup and he would end up in the hospital!"

The barman felt more nervous than before, as he tried to answer and fix that mess

"M-my apologies sir... I'm just supposed to obey everyone's orders without hesitation…"

Panther sighed and looked at Falco, he didn't finish his second drink, but he looked dizzy, yet conscious

"Falco, are you alright?"

Panther asked worryingly, looking closer to the avian, he was about to fall asleep.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm just feeling a little dizzy, that's all…"

Panther sighed in relief and looked at the barman with a mean look, which squirmed and walked a step back.

"I'm really sorry sir! You don't have to pay for the drinks, but please, don't tell this to my boss"

Panther felt sorry for the barman, he had a feeling that the barman's boss wasn't a great person and made his life a nightmare, he somehow felt identified.

"No no, don't worry, really, it was his fault for not noticing before" Panther pulled a out a bill from his pocket and handed it to the barman

"Please, keep the change"

The Barman's face lit up in happiness, nodding cheerfully.

Panther got up from his seat and waited for Falco to get up. Which eventually did, his legs trembled and almost fell down, if it wasn't for Panther, his beak would end up kissing the ground.

"Whoa there, are you really sure you can go back home like that?

Falco grabbed the feline's arms tightly, trying to stand up properly, he felt a spark in his chest. For the first time, someone tried to help him when he was wasted, his friends usually left him behind knowing well that he could take care of himself.

"I doubt so…, may I ask you to drive me to my place?"

Panther chuckled and helped Falco in the process.

"Yeah, don't mind at all, you're a lucky guy, today I came by foot"

Falco smiled and started to walk with difficulty, Panther by his side.

Minutes passed, when they finally arrived, Panther helped Falco get out, by that time he could stand normally without trembling, but he was still feeling dizzy.

"Well Falco, it was fun, but I guess it's time to say goodbye"

The avian didn't say anything, he looked at the feline with a seductive look, then he grinned mischievously and gently grabbed Panther's tie.

"Oh no, sir, I guess not…"

Panther blushed and smiled nervously. He tried to pull away after that

"Falco...you're still drunk, I shouldn't take advantage of your state…"

The avian shook his head in negation, getting closer to the feline. With his fingers, he caressed gently Panther's neck

"I'm perfectly conscious, I know well what I want."

Panther let a purr escape, he wanted to follow his lust, but he didn't see in Falco what he saw in his other hookups, he saw something special, and didn't want to ruin it.

Until...the avian couldn't wait anymore, he approached the feline, pecking softly his cheek, wrapping Panther's hips with his hands

"O-oh my...are you sure you want this?"

Falco nodded as he placed his face on the feline's shoulder, pecking and even biting his neck.

Panther finally gave up, and hugged the avian. Starting to walk inside the building.

Falco giggled while accommodating himself on Panther's embrace.

They both giggled in silence, caressing each other, seconds passed as they got closer to Falco's flat, their embrace began to be more passionate.

Once they reached Falco's door, he quickly got his keys, opening it trying to be as silent as possible.

They got in and the first thing the avian did was separate himself from Panther for a second, he looked him in the eyes, and whispered.

"God...you're so fucking gorgeous"

After that, he quickly grabbed Panther's face and kissed his lips how he could, closing the door with his feet, soon they let free their desires. Filling a void they both felt for a long time. They finally found someone who cared about them.

* * *

. . .

It was already night, Lylat had set a long time ago, and both Wolf O'Donnell and Fox McCloud walked through the city carrying some bags, they've spent the entire day shopping like teenagers, but they didn't regret anything.

They finally could meet each other properly, knowing their stories, what they hated, what they loved, finding out that they actually had a lot in common. Soon, the time of their farewell had come, and after some idle chat and chuckles, Fox was the first one to bid farewell.

"I had so much fun today, Wolf, it's so great to have someone who could understand me in so many things, thank you, for real."

Wolf chuckled slightly embarrassed, he answered after that.

"I should be the one thanking you, for meeting me today, for defending me this morning, and for teaching me many things about Corneria I didn't know, I'm really grateful."

Fox smiled and simply added.

"Don't worry, that's what friends are for."

Wolf felt his heart flutter when he heard the magic word "friend", his tough looks helped hiding it well, but the joy he felt was immeasurable.

Without saying anything else, Fox approached and hugged the lupine, which made both hearts feel a spark. He soon let go as Wolf started to walk to his home waving a hand to his new friend.

Fox got in his car and started to drive, thinking about the next time he could see his new friend.

~ _end of chapter 3~_

 ** _Author's_ _note_**

It may be a little obvious now, but I'm doing this for the gays™, also, as some of you may know, the name of this chapter means "Love in first sight" in french, I thought of it while writing Falco and Panther's story, I wanted to write a story about two perfectly matching people, charismatic and supportive that somehow felt a void in their hearts, and once they knew eachother, they would know that they found their one true soulmate.

Also I've started to add a symbolic meaning to some words, like the candle, I'll explain it eventually in future chapters. Thank you a lot for reading!

(I must also add that the last check I did on the story was in the doc manager with my phone, and when I write some words, or correct them, it begins to act weirdly, like changing letters or shortening spaces, if you see something like that, notify me and I'll directly correct them on my PC.)


End file.
